Device for supporting safety pins



July 30, 1935. T|| ETT 2,009,909

DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING SAFETY PINS Fil ed Feb. 14, 1935 Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING SAFETY PI NS Frederick George Tillett, Eastbourne, England Application February 14, 1935, Serial No. 6,603

' In Great Britain January 14, 1935 10 Claims.

: This invention relates to a device for supporting a safety pin.

Safety pins are employed in routine work in a reat number of industrial operations in which it 7 is necessary to secure a number of articles together. When it is necessary to effect anoperation individually on each article prior to placing it on the safety pin, a considerable amount of time is wasted in putting down and picking up the pin in attaching the articles thereto.

The object of the invention is to'provide a device for supporting a safety pin which overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to the invention there is provided a device for supporting a safety pin which comprises a supporting member so constructed that a safety pin may be readily mounted thereon in a detachable manner so that the barb of the pin in the open position extends forwardly and upwardly from the member to provide a hook upon which articles may be placed or impaled.

Preferably the supporting member is in the form of a standard'in which a recess is formed into which the back of an open safety pin may be inserted so that the pin is supported at the bottom end thereof in a manner which affords a certain amount of rigidity to the upwardly extending barb and a displaceable stop is provided on the supporting member which may be moved in front of the back of the pin in the recess to prevent the pin from being pulled out of the recess when articles are placed on the barb and which maybe displaced from in front of the back of the pin to enable the pin to be readily removed from the socket.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference is directed to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 show views at right angles of a device for supporting a safety pin constructed in accordance with the invention, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a device as shown in Figures 1 and 2 secured to a base plate which is arranged to serve'as a writing table for detail sheets or the like and as a support for other devices, more particularly described hereinafter.

Referring to Figures '1 and 2, the device comprises a supporting member in the form of a standard I secured to a flat base 2 and'in which a recess 3 is formed. The recess is of such a shape that the back 4 of a safety pin may beinserted thereinto together with a portion of the bottom or spring'hirige of the pin so that the bottom of the recess serves as a rest upon which the pin may be supported. An edge or abutment 6 on the standard at the lower front portion of the recess is arranged 'to bear against the barb 5 of the safety pin at a point disposed therealong, the barb projecting forwardly and upwardly of the standard in the. manner of a hook as clearly 5 shown in Figure 2. An arm 1 is pivotally mounted at 8 to a bracket 9 provided on the base 2 and a stop pin i0 is provided on the arm 1 so that in the position of the arm shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 2 the pin l0 extends intogthe recess 3 in front of the back 4 of the safety pin. 7 When the back of the safety pinis disposed behind the stop lil as shown in the drawing, the stop prevents the pin from being withdrawn from g n the recess 3 and thus detached from the support, 1' for example, when articles are placed on the barb 5 in the position shown in Figure 2. The arm I is normally maintained in the position shown in full lines in Figure l by a spring ll. Upon displacement cf the arm 1 into the position indicated in dot and dash lines in Figure 1, the pin I9 is withdrawn from in front of the back 4 of the safety pin so that the pin can be withdrawn from the recess 3.

Whenthe pin is inserted in the recess as shown in the drawing, the support afforded by the edge 6 on the standard to the barb 5 lends the barb a certain amount of rigidity which enables articles to be placed on the barb in an extremely simple manner.

With the arrangement shown inrFigure 3, the safety pin support, generally indicated at A, is shown' as being secured to a flat plate l2 (also indicated in Figures 1 and 2) which serves as a writing table and upon which a spring controlled clip [3 which may be actuated by a handle 14 is mounted to enable a number of superimposed detail sheets or the like indicated at l5 to be clamped to the plate l2. A pencil I6 is suspended from the upper end of a flexible support I? and a pencil sharpener I8 is mounted at the rear end of the plate It; a socket IQ for an electric lamp is also provided on the plate l2, these features being optional. 9 v

The device shown in Figure 3 is of great utility in many industrial operations in which a number of details have to be entered upon detail sheets and articles in respect of these details secured together as a bundle or the like and which could be secured together in common by a safety pin. With the device shown in Figure 3, as each article is entered onthe detail sheet I5 it may be placed on the barb 5 of the safety pin and when the list 1 is complete the pin may be removed from the support together with the articles placed thereon and closed to secure the articles together and the sheet in respect of the particular articles could also be placed on the pin before closing if necessary.

The arrangement shown in Figure 3 is also useful when a number of detail sheets are required to be secured together into a particular batch say of twenty-five; as each detail sheet is completed it can be placed, on the'barb of the safety pin mounted in the support therefor until the batch is completed and the pin detached from the support and closed as previously described.

The device shown in Figure 3 is of particular use in dealing with bundles of articles of different customers in laundries. It is customary to sort the articles of each customers bundle into two groups, one in respect of thosearticles which have been previously marked to identify. them with the customer and another group in respect of those articles which are not so marked. Most articles of clothing and the like are marked in a recognized place so that in examining abundle of articles the sorter has first to find the usual place for the mark and then if the. mark is found the article is placed for exampleon a conveyor or in a bin for marked articles while if they article is not marked it is put on one side until the sorting of the particular bundleis completed; the articles are also entered one by one on a detail sheet. When the sorting of a bundle is completed the unmarked articles are passed over toa marker who has then to re-sort their! to findthe place upon which the marking is to be effected. By the employment of the device provided in accordance withthe invention, considerable labour may be saved in the above described sorting operations. Assuming-the sorter be provided with'an apparatus as shown in Figure 3, then as each bundle is sorted the unmarked articles canbe placed on the barb of the'safety pin in the device A at the place where the mark is to be appliedand on the completion of the-sorting of the bundle the safety pin is-removed and closed-so that as soon as the marker can deal with'the bundle each article can beremoved from the safety'pin by the marker who can'at once take hold of the article atth'e appropriate place for marking,.as identified by the safety pin,- without further examination. In this way collecting-and rebundling of the unmarked articles and re-examination thereof by the marker to find the marking point on the articles is avoided.

The device can be mounted on a sorting bin and supplied therewith, if desired. T

'What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: g

l. A device for supporting a safety pin which comprises a supporting member provided with surfaces against which an open safety pin may be arranged to rest so that the pin is firmly supported on the member in a detachable'manner with the barb thereof projecting forwardlyTand upwardly from the said member.

2. A device for supporting a safety pin which comprises a supporting member provided with a supporting surface upon which the hinged end of an open safety pin may be arranged to rest-and with a stop behind which the back of the pin when so resting may be disengageably disposed with the barb of the open pin projecting upwardly andforwardly from the supporting member.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe from. stop is movably mounted on the supporting memher so as to be displaceable into and out of position in front of the back of the open pin when the hinged end of the pin is resting on the supporting surface therefor.

4. A device for supporting a safety pin which comprises a supporting member, a recess so formed in said member as to receive the back of an open safety pin, a stop movable in said recess so as to be displaceable into and out of position, in front of the back of the pin when positioned in said recess, and a supporting surface on said member adapted to support the hinged end of the pin when positioned in said recess with the barb of the pin projecting upwardly and forwardly from the supporting member.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bottom of the recess serves as the support for the hinged end of the pin.

6. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein a portion of the supporting member is arranged to bear against the front of the barb of the open pin at a point disposed along the length of the barb when the pin is correctly located in said recess.

7. A device for supporting a safety pin which comprises a supporting member, a. recess so formed in said member as to receive the back of an open safety pin with the barb extending upwardly and forwardly of the supporting member, the bottom of the recess being shaped to extend around the hinged end of the pin when so positioned inthe recess to support the said pin and bear against the front of the barb thereof at a point located along the length of the barb, and a stop displaceable into and out ofy-posi- ,tion from in front of the back of the pin 'when so positioned in said recess.

8. A device for supporting a safety pin which comprises a supporting member, a recess so formed in said member as to receive the back of an open safety pin with the barb extending upwardly and forwardly of the supporting member, the bottom of the recess being shaped to. extend around the hinged end of the pin of position from in front of the back of the pin when so positioned in said recess, a spring being provided to move said stop into position in front of the back of the pin and normally maintaining the stop insuchposition.

9. A device for supporting a safety pin which comprises a supporting member provided with supporting surfaces adapted to support an open safety pin with the barb projecting upwardly and forwardly from said member, one of said surfaces being displaceable to permit engagement of an open safety pin with said surfaces or to permit removal of said pin therefrom.

10. A device for supporting a safety pin which comprises a supporting member provided with supporting surfaces adapted to support an open .safety pin with the barb projecting upwardly and forwardly from said member, one of said surfaces being formed by a stop hingedly dis- .placeable against a yielding control to permit engagement of an open safety pin with said surfaces or to permit removal of said pin there- FREDERICK GEORGE TniLE'r'r. 

